The present invention relates to a coin passageway for guiding coins by type of coin in a coin handling machine which is adapted to perform sorting, counting, packing and other operations with respect to the coins.
There is known a coin passageway comprising two rails spaced away from each other and extending parallel to each other, these rails being moved by the same distance to provided a width matching the external diameter of coins to be handle. Such a coin passageway is shown, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 52-26295, 53-56094 or Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. 56 -95774. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 59-121491 discloses a coin passageway comprising a pair of rails, only one of the rails being movable to provide a variable width without change of the coin stacking position.
In the above prior art, the inlet of the passageway connected with an introducing passage leading to a rotary disc on which coins to be handled are placed is also is variable in width. Particularly, when the coins are moved to the introducing section of the coin passageway along a guide member under the action of centrifugal force in the rotating disc, the positional relationship between the rails and the guide member will be varied to produce a discontinuous portion on the guiding surface. This is not practicable for foreign coins having diameters which vary considerably.